The Realm of Dragons
by PiercingPrincess
Summary: Sarah has returned to the Labyrinth after three long years of missing her friends. Now Jareth must once again live up to her expectations...this time with a little help from a neighboring Queen. Rating may change.
1. Introduction

**The Realm of Dragons  
Introduction  
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**(\_ _/)  
(o\ /o)**

**Authors Note: ^^^^ It's an owl :D ^^^^**

The Goblin King stood at the foot of the bridge that led into the Fire Garden that surrounded his neighboring kingdom's castle. The plants were all the colors of fire: red, orange and yellow, blue and green. Sculptures in the shapes of dragons littered the open areas in the garden: dragons crouched as if ready to pounce, dragons with their mouths open as if breathing fire, dragons in flight, dragons playing, dragons, dragons, dragons. The fluttering of leathery wings drew his eyes towards the sky where dozens of flying serpents darted low, here and there, some pausing to tug experimentally at his hair with their little clawed hands. They were no larger than his hand, yet he knew of others that were taller than the houses in his Goblin City. He was here on business, he reminded himself, drawing his thoughts back to the humbling reason he was here. He would much rather converse with these delightful creatures than swallow his pride and ask assistance from the Dragon Queen.

As soon as he had thought her name the doors to the castle were thrown open and out trekked the royal Fae herself, conversing with a silver kit that perched on her shoulder, his talons gripping her shirt gently, his wings folded so they wouldn't tangle in her shoulder length locks of violet hair. Two pairs of ruby colored eyes flashed to his face as both dragon and his Queen stared at him in a brief moment of surprise.

The Queen was garbed in clothes that looked like rags next to the Goblin King's usual attire. She wore tight breeches of dark gray and boots that reached her knees of the darkest black. Her faded, dark red tunic reached to just above her knees, the sleeves from the elbow down tucked into gloves fashioned out of black dragon scales that flashed with a rainbow of colors when the light hit them just right. There was a black vest over her tunic, embroidered with pairs of fighting dragons along the hems. She eyed him wearily with her ruby red eyes, the claws of her dragon scale gloves tapping almost nervously against her thighs. She mumbled a few words to the kit on her shoulder, which shook out his hide before taking flight, brushing the tip of his tail against her cheek before disappearing amongst his brothers and sisters.

Jareth watched him go, as did his Queen. He knew that these were the smallest of the dragons and were the most likely to inhabit a garden, especially if it met little to no contact with humans. He knew that the Gold Dragons would remain inside the castle walls, or even among the caves in the mountains that surrounded the valley the Dragon City resided in, acting as their Queen's treasurers. The Drake Mountains, tall and wide mountain peaks that surrounded the Fire Queen's Forest, Dragon Castle and Dragon City, were occupied by numerous kinds of dragons and the Forest held even more. The wyverns would be in the fields and openings between the city gates and the Forest and the almighty Hydra would be guarding the only entrance into the Mountains. Just as there were goblins everywhere he turned in his Goblin City, here there were dragons.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company on this day, cousin?" Amaraniel asked of him, tilting her head to the side, an action one would see in a dragon or a bird. A confused gesture, her eyes wide and never blinking. A small, knowing smirk graced her lips and a teasing light jumped into those ruby red eyes of hers. "This isn't about that girl is it? Are you so sore over her defeat that you've come begging for help from _me_?"

"No," Jareth snapped. He stubbornly looked away from the infuriating woman standing before him. He started counting backwards from ten. "_Sarah_ is back."

Shock parted Amaraniel's pale lips and widened her seemingly glowing eyes. She reared her head back and straightened her shoulders, obviously surprised. She regained her composure however and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning her weight onto her right side. "And you've no way of sending her back this time, have you, cousin?" She sighed and shook her head. "Jareth, Jareth, Jareth…what in the world possessed you to let her back into your kingdom. When she called you could have very easily dumped her here. No harm would have come to her in my lands and she certainly wouldn't have had to run that blasted Labyrinth of yours again."

"She didn't call me," the Goblin King rasped. The Dragon Queen rolled that little tidbit of information around in her brain.

True to the story the Goblin King had fallen in love with the girl, but Jareth had never been a creature of love and he didn't know what to do with those unwanted emotions. He had come to her, Amaraniel, seeking help in getting rid of them. She had told him that the only way to remove that part of him was to remove his emotions all together. He had been all too eager to risk that and so she had sent him away, slapping some sense into him and downright ordering him to go and take care of his crumbling kingdom. He had returned not a week later claiming that he had been a fool and had assumed too much in too little of a time. He claimed that the mortal girl meant nothing to him.

Amaraniel knew love when she saw it. She was the Queen of the Dragons, the Queen of creatures whose every action was fueled by a burning passion. He had simply been in denial.

And now, three years after Sarah wounded the Goblin King's pride, heart and kingdom, she was back, and she hadn't even called on him. The Queen could only imagine how that hurt Jareth's slowly healing pride, not to mention his guarded heart. So she did the only thing she could think of doing.

"Bring her to me," she said simply.

"Amar…" Jareth began, pinching the bridge of his nose. Her lips fought to remain straight. She always did enjoy aggravating him. "This isn't just something you can fix with a bloody picnic. She _destroyed_ my KINGDOM!"

"I'm well aware of that Goblin King," Amar said calmly. "But is your kingdom not recovered? Are its inhabitants safe and sound in their little goblin homes? It's not your kingdom that you're trying to protect here, Jareth, it's you. What you don't seem to realize however is that Sarah Williams knows nothing of the pain she's caused you and locking her in some oubliette isn't going to rid her from your life _or_ make things any easier on you. So, you will bring her here."

"Why?" Amar blinked. She had been expecting a raging fit, the stamping of the foot, the throwing of the arms into the air, a huff of annoyance, _anything_ other than rash acceptance.

"Well because I want to meet her of course," she grinned. "And I'm sure the young lady is just dying to get home, and we both know that the only way back is through the Portals. Tell me, cousin Jareth, how is your Portal running these days?" Jareth just grumbled something under his breath. Amar, knowing very well that the goblins had broken his (how they managed that she didn't know) long ago, just grinned. "It's settled. Bring the mortal girl Sarah Williams into my kingdom and directly to me." The Dragon Queen turned away and marched back to the doors of her castle. "Oh, and Jareth," she called. "No feeding her to the dragons."

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**Author's Note 2:** Yes, it's short. Forgive me? It's just the introduction. I'm sure things will lengthen out once the half-written first chapter is finished. You know the drill people; just go ahead and click that button there and leave me a nice little comment. I enjoy them very much :D


	2. History, Memories and Picnics

**The Realm of Dragons  
Chapter One**

**(\_ _/)  
(o\ /o)**

**Author's Note:** **This chapter is mostly history of Amaraniel's home land however it is important to the rest of the story so…read away :) Oh and don't worry, Jareth and Sarah are in this chapter too…near the end bit. Enjoy!  
Also I'd like to thank UndergroundDaydreams, Broken Memories and Avalon-Mist for their wonderful reviews. Thanks guys! :D**

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Amaraniel grinned to herself, plopping herself down on her throne. A young drake skittered over her booted feet, followed soon after by a Fae child, her little pointed ears sticking out from her short locks of brown hair. Their Queen paid them no attention, her mind on other things, matters that demanded her attention at the moment: she needed to think of a way to ease the mortal girl, Sarah, into her world.

Anyone would be overwhelmed; Amar smirked, with having to memorize all of the different kinds of dragons. Which ones to stay away from, which ones to go to for healing, and which ones that held great conversations.

There were the Black dragons, the toughest of them all. Their scales were harder than any Aboveground metal and glittered with rainbows whenever the light hit them just right. A neat little trick that often led those brave enough to travel through the swamp into a false sense of security, lulling them into calmness before those massive jaws closed around them and swallowed them whole. They were slender beasts, often found slithering their way through the swamp gunk without any trouble, weaving in and out of the trees and roots with practiced ease. They were no longer than 70 feet long, one of the largest dragons around, with muscles hidden under layers of impenetrable scales and slender limbs. Acid was their weapon of choice, often shot from the mouth or sometimes coated along the spade spike on the ends of their tails. Fitting for a swamp dwelling dragon.

Of course there were the Dragonets, the little ones that seemed so innocent but were often fierce and hostile to those that weren't fellow dragons. The largest of the Dragonets was the stretch of an average grown man's arm, from shoulder to finger tip. The smallest was the stretch of one of Amar's small hands, such as Sid, her silver scaled friend she had shooed away when the Goblin King appeared. They preferred solitude and if they kept company it was usually only with their own kind. The larger dragons saw them as snacks and they saw humans or any other creature as threats.

The Fire-Drakes were in the lower levels of the castle, their fiery handiwork ideal for weapons, armor and jewelry work. Their claws did wonders for picking up and placing those small bits of jewels or metal that rough padded human hands could not and their internal furnace allowed them to take their work home with them, if they so desired. As drakes, they were flightless dragons, wingless with limbs more human-like than others'. Fire was their weapon of choice, as their name suggested.

Their cousins, the Ice-Drakes lived on the peaks of the Drake Mountains amongst the flurries of snow and ice. They were the ones that kept records of the mountain dwelling dragons and tabs on the Silver dragons, watching their dwindling numbers closely and supervising their guarding of the Portal into the Mortal Realm.

The wyverns chose to make their homes in the fields and clearings between the Dragon City walls and the Fire Queen's Forest. There they had plenty of room to fly about and infect others with their deadly poison. They had only two legs and a barbed tail which is said to have a poisonous stinger on the end. Amar had never had the pleasure of getting close enough to find out if that little tidbit was true or not.

Of course there was the Hydra, the many headed dragon that guarded the entrance to the Drake Mountains. A seemingly un-kill-able creature, it was certainly fit for the job. With its many heads it surveyed what parts of the Forest it could see and prevented any and all intruders from reaching the Mountains. On the off chance that someone other than the Queen got passed him, they would have to trek through the territories of at least a dozen other species of dragons and get past the strong willed Silver dragons that guarded the Portal at the highest peak of the Drake Mountains.

There were the Blue and Brass dragons, although Amar doubted that Sarah would have to worry about crossing them. They lived in the desert lands that were conveniently tucked into a patch of land beyond the Mountains, on the other side of the Dragon Queen's Kingdom from the path that led to the Goblin Kingdom. The Blue and Brass species fought amongst each other often, mostly for territory and their hunger for herd animals. While the Blues tended to keep more to themselves, the Brasses were the ones that wouldn't mind a quick conversation, as long as you had a tasty bit of knowledge to offer for their troubles. The Blue dragon's weapon of choice was their lightning breath, while the Brasses stuck with their fear or sleeping gasses.

Then the Bronze dragons with their love of wealth and ability to assume the form of animals to observe the affairs of humans. Highly intelligent with the choice of a bolt of lightning or a gas of repulsion for weapons against invaders, although they are known as one of the more friendlier species, often going out of their way to have conversations with humans or Fae creatures, simply for the joy of knowledge. They resided near the banks of Dóiteáin Lake, which is tucked away in a little clearing in the Fire Queen's Forest, just at the base of Drake Mountains.

The Copper, Red and Gold dragons tucked themselves away in caves that littered the Mountains, scattered along the width of them and almost as far as the highest peak. While the Gold dragons alternated between the caves and the castle, being the Queen's trusted treasurers and all, the Copper and Red dragons preferred the mountain ranges over anything else. The Copper beasts are highly intelligent dragons that tend to be a bit selfish. Their weapons of choice were either acid or a gas that causes lethargy. The Red beasts are very greedy and they possess exceptional intelligence. Naturally, their choice of weapon is fire.

The Green, Emerald, and Crystal dragons chose their homes in the Fire Queen's Forest, tucked neatly amongst the trees. The Green dragons are nasty tempered and wicked to the bone with an average sort of intelligence and poisonous breath. The Emerald dragons are a curious species, taken to keeping track of history, lore and customs. They tend to be reclusive and love privacy, although they can be seen mingling with Sapphire dragons and fearing the Red ones. Their choice of attack is a loud wail that sense sonic vibrations through the enemy. And the Crystal dragons are solitary in nature but welcome visitors who come by them with good intentions. Like other benevolent dragons (such as the Sapphire, Emerald and Amethyst clans) the Crystal dragons would rather talk than fight. The breath weapon of the Crystal dragon is a cone of glowing shards.

Amar's ruby gaze darted towards the bay window she was so fond of. From there she could see every element of her kingdom: the corner of the Dóiteáin Lake, the trees of the Forest, the peaks of the Mountain, the wyverns, the drakes, the dragons…everything. She could see the dip in the ground under the bay window, the dark circle of dead grass in the field where she had learned to control her Fae magic, the charred stone from when a Black dragon had wandered his way to the castle in a distorted rage after suffering from some dragon illness the Queen _still_ couldn't pronounce.

She saw the tree line she and her friends used to disappear into when they were children, remembering pouncing from a low branch and splattering a certain Goblin King's clothes with mud as he passed. She grinned at the memory. She had just reached her 300 year mark, only 50 away from becoming Queen, and Jareth had been called in to help tutor her in her final magic classes. He was a stunningly beautiful creature, she remembered thinking, even among the Fae who were beautiful to begin with. More than 300 years her elder and already knee-deep in dealing with Goblins, the King had little time for her outside of classes however. Little Amar had done her best in her training to impress him, even going as far as staying awake night after night, practicing over and over until she could approach him with a mischievous smile that he had quickly learned meant trouble.

She supposed that she should be thankful of her little crush on him back then. Without him around to impress, she would have become bored with her studies and would have simply wandered off to find something else to occupy her time with. Now, nearing 600 years of age and a strong willed woman instead of a flirtatious little girl, her crush for him had faded and she had found a trustworthy friend in the Goblin King. She wished that he could say the same about her but he just wasn't the type of person to openly admit his emotions about someone. Let alone a woman, no matter his intentions.

Amar felt a tug in her chest and her heart skipped a beat. Someone was trying to translocate into her kingdom. She narrowed her eyes and sought out the source of the power. As soon as her "web" touched his she knew that it was Jareth. "Your Highness," one of her assistance called, running to her side as she leaped from her throne and strode for the castle doors. "Your Highness someone is trying to – "

"I know Aiden."

The blond haired, silver eyed man blinked. "Oh…Well then."

Amar grinned crookedly. "If that is all?"

"Of course, Your Highness." He paused as he scurried away. "If I may…is the presence I sense Lord Jareth's?"

"It is."

His lips twitched and he bowed low. "I see…" was all he said before disappearing in a puff of glitter. Amar coughed and flapped her hand in front of her face. Why her kind had to be so _sparkly_ she'd never know…

The Queen threw open the doors just as Jareth raised his hand to push them open. Her old mentor staggered forward and nearly bumped foreheads with the Dragon Queen, who remained standing tall, a crooked grin on her face. "Back so soon?" She quipped, trying to peek over his shoulder at the dark haired woman behind him. He kept shifting so she couldn't see around or over him and she frowned up at him. "So you bring her to my castle but I'm not allowed to see her? What kind of nonsense is that, cousin?"

"Cousin?" The woman asked, bending her taller frame to the side and peering around Jareth. He couldn't very well keep the both of them from peeking around him and soon he found himself trapped as both women glanced around him at the other. "You're his cousin?" Sarah Williams asked, her large green eyes more mossy than emerald. Amar shook her head to both clear her thoughts and answer her question. She had a habit of noticing too much about a person's eyes…

"Not really. It's kind of a pet name for us royals. His kingdom is neighboring mine so technically he is my cousin." Amar stuck out her hand, smiling when Jareth huffed and side-stepped to avoid getting smushed between the two. Sarah looked startled at the customary Aboveground greeting but when she met Amar's eyes, the Fae just winked and smiled wickedly. "I am called Amaraniel, but you may call me Amar."

"Sarah. It's a pleasure to meet you, Your High-"

"I said Amar. None of those formalities. It makes my head ache." With another wicked grin, Amar turned to face Jareth. "I don't suppose you've explained anything to her, have you?"

Sarah snorted. "He hasn't said a single word to me since I ended up in his castle. Sent me straight to an oubliette and now suddenly I'm aloud to visit other kingdoms. I swear, he doesn't make any sense."

"He never has," Amar grinned. She punched the Goblin King lightly on the shoulder. "That's a horrible way to treat a guest, cousin." He just glared. "So! Sarah. You're _the_ Sarah, eh? Oh don't give me that look, everyone knows about you around these parts. Any kingdoms neighboring Jareth's were well aware of the little fit he threw after you left."

"Fit?"

Ignoring Jareth's warning glare, Amar stepped up to Sarah's side and slung her arm around the other woman's shoulders, leading her farther into the castle. "Didn't you hear? No I suppose you wouldn't have. You were home, safe and sound by then. Well let's see…after you defeated his Labyrinth – "

"That's quite enough, Amaraniel." Jareth interrupted. "I've brought Sarah to you so you can find her a way home. She doesn't need to know about anything else."

"On the contrary my King, she needs to know everything." The Dragon Queen sighed and rolled her eyes, stepping away from Sarah and plopping herself down into her throne with a kind of boneless grace that Sarah immediately recognized. "I cannot translocate a mortal, Jareth. Any traveling done in this realm by that little one there is to be done by foot, hoof or wing."

"I'm sorry?"

"_What!"_

Amar blinked, rearing her head back and regarding the two with open curiosity. "To answer you first, Sarah, I simply meant we're either to walk, ride or fly. And you, Jareth…what exactly is your problem with this? It's not as if you're bound to her and must travel with us." A sly smirk spread across the Queen's face. "Or are you worried about her safety?"

"Absolutely not!" The Goblin King sputtered. Sarah glared at him.

"Well I'm sure us ladies would be interested in having the big, strong Goblin King accompany us on our terrifying journey," Amar smiled innocently, doing her best not to laugh at Sarah's giggling.

"You mock me?" Jareth hissed. Amar narrowed her eyes and glared right back.

"I tease you, cousin. Surely you know the difference after the years you've known me." She stood and stretched, the kink in her back coming loose with a loud _crack_. "Lighten up, Goblin King, and join the Lady and me for dinner." She offered her arm to Sarah mockingly who took it with a dramatic curtsy and the two disappeared through the side door. Jareth simply stood, staring after them and counting backwards from ten. Sid, the silver little dragon that had been conversing with the Queen earlier, settled himself on the Goblin King's shoulder. One of his clawed paws slid through Jareth's wild platinum blond hair.

"_I take it you'll be joining us for the Summer Solstice Festival, Lord Jareth?"_

"I might have to respectfully decline your invitation, Sidhyarien."

"_Oh come now, Jareth,_" A red little spit of a dragon chuckled, settling on his other shoulder. _"Our queen isn't that bad. Besides, she wants you to be there. You are her mentor after all."_

"Was, my little friend. Was."

"Oi! Jareth!" Amar shouted. He moved to the bay window and glanced down at the field where he had taught the Dragon Queen to gain control over the raging fire that was her Fae magic. There was a blanket draped over one of her arms and a Fire-Drake was carrying a massive basket of food in his jaws behind her. Sarah was just a little ways ahead of her, looking around her with wide eyes. "Come join us for the picnic, Goblin King. A little sun will do you some good."

"No, the sun will do _you_ good," Jareth retorted from behind her. Amar squeaked and smacked his arm. He smirked, enjoying the fact that after 300 years he could still sneak up on her. "But I suppose I can't deny a direct order from the ruling Queen of this kingdom."

"What about the sun?" Sarah asked as she helped Amar spread out the blanket. The Fire-Drake brushed past her and she yelped. Yellow eyes flicked towards her face and she could have sworn the drake actually smiled at her.

"Well," the Queen started, taking the basket from the drake and patting his head in thanks. "You know how Jareth's other form is an Owl? Well mine is a Dragon."

"How appropriate."

"I agree. Now I'm part of the clan of Amethyst dragons, the ones that live in some of the highest peaks of those mountains there, the Drake Mountains. They're purple in color, some darker than others, and have the same red eyes as I do. They love the sun, they do. Of course I'm not nearly as large as an actual dragon but I am still impressive if I do say so myself."

"Which you do," Jareth smirked. "Often."

"Don't go teasing me about my ego, my King. After 300 years of knowing and being taught by you that kind of thing tends to rub off on others."

"Are you calling me egotistical?"

Amar grinned. "Why yes, my dear King, I suppose I am. But before we get into that argument I believe our dear Sarah has questions."

Ignoring Jareth's grumbling reply of 'she's not _my_ anything', Sarah swallowed her food and asked, "How is it that you two came to know each other?"

"If I may?" Jareth jumped in, smiling innocently at Amar. Wearily she allowed him to continue. "More than 300 years ago Amar's father, the King at the time, requested my assistance in training his daughter. It's a great honor to be even invited into the Dragon Kingdom, let alone be asked to assist the royal family. Little did I know-"

"Why is it such a big deal to get into the Dragon Kingdom?" Sarah interrupted.

"Because my subjects aren't a very friendly bunch," Amar smiled sadly. "Humans and Fae have been known to hunt them for their scales or simply for the glory of a kill. They've become guarded, well most of them anyway. I only let those who I trust or feel the dragons will allow into my territory. I'm taking a great risk with letting you stay here, Sarah. However, I wouldn't worry too much. Anyone who causes the fall of a Goblin Kingdom is welcome by any dragon, as far as they're concerned."

"Anyway," Jareth snapped, annoyed at having been interrupted. "I accepted the King's request and came here to meet the royal family. I had been expecting a well behaved child, willing to learn. Instead, I got her." Amar grinned proudly. "I knew she was trouble the moment I saw her in the field playing tag with the dragons. She was covered in mud by the time the guards had managed to get her indoors. She was rebellious, self-centered and completely lacked all control over her magic."

"Jareth here drilled me night and day to learn control, sometimes staying for days away from his kingdom just to make sure that I didn't snap and destroy everything within a ten mile radius of wherever I was. This very field was where I had some of my first lessons in Fire magic. As you can tell, I turned out just fine." Amar scrunched up her nose and blinked her eyes rapidly. "I have to sneeze…"

"Sarah, you might want to move back," Jareth warned.

"Why's that?"

"_AH-ACHOO_!" A burst of fire missed the mortal by mere inches, scorching the corner of the blanket and the grass under and beyond it. Amar shook her head and blinked rapidly, clearing the spots from her vision as she sniffed and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

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**Author's Note 2:** And so ends the second installment of The Realm of Dragons. You know what to do people. :)


	3. Travel Plans and Festivities

**The Realm of Dragons  
Chapter Two**

**(\_ _/)  
(o\ /o)**

Jareth leaned back on his hands, eying the two women wearily. He had known that bringing Sarah here wouldn't end well for him, and yet he had done it anyway. He had known that Amar would tease him endlessly, that he would eventually give in and escort the women to the Portal, that he would have to face the facts and come to terms with the fact that he was in…that he was fond of the mortal. It's been years, he reasoned with himself, perhaps things have changed. But he knew that that wasn't true. Things were still the same, at least mostly. Sarah had grown up and now at the age of eighteen she looked every bit the woman he knew she would be. Her hair was longer, her eyes filled with a knowledge that no other mortal could claim to know, her smile just as radiant.

_Radiant?_ He scowled.

He turned his eyes instead to his old pupil. Amaraniel too had grown quite a deal since he had last seen her. Fae, in general, reached their adulthood rather quickly, and once they did their body stopped changing. Amar was always changing, most likely to accommodate the raging fire that was her Fae magic. Her hair was still cropped short around her shoulders, but purple instead of the blond it once was. There was a faint glow to her skin, as if the fire was pressing against her flesh, begging to be let out.

"You're staring, cousin."

"You're hair is purple," was his retort.

She smirked. "How very observant of you. But yes, it changes once in a great while. Although I finally think it's chosen a color it likes."

"Your hair," Sarah began, confused and disbelieving. "Chooses what color it wants to be?"

"I guess that's one way of putting it," The Dragon Queen said thoughtfully. "Let me explain it this way: Fae rarely ever change after they've reached adulthood. Once they reach that peak in their lives, their powers are at full bloom and they have full control over them. Because of my unusual situation, I have not stopped changing. The only thing that really stays the same about me is my eyes and the fact that I'm always shorter than everyone I meet. Unless of course it's a dwarf."

"What's so unusual about your situation?"

"I'm the Queen of Dragons, Sarah. My subjects require a fine balance of strictness, wisdom, playfulness and guidance. How many people do you know that can somehow possess both Yin and Yang? None, exactly. And I'm not claiming that I do either, just that I have found a way to work with my subjects, my powers, my politics and my personal life. It's not easy but it's worth it."

"So you're saying that you're life is like the very fire you control?"

Amar nudged Jareth with her elbow. "She's a smart one, isn't she?" Jareth just grunted.

"What else about you changes?"

"My skin tone, my hair, my personality. It rarely happens however and only usually when I'm under great amounts of stress."

"Similar to the time I pushed you too hard for your Coming of Age Ceremony?" Jareth smiled crookedly. "You turned red and started shooting fireballs at me."

"You deserved it!" Amar argued, smacking him lightly on the chest. "I hadn't had sleep in _days_ and there you were, the day before the Ceremony, _screaming _at me to work harder, to concentrate." Sarah snorted with laughter and Jareth's lips twitched. Amar scowled at the both of them. "I'd like to see you two go through what I did that week. It was Hell, I swear it."

"So Jareth's a strict teacher then?" Sarah asked.

Amar shrugged. "Only when it suits him. Other times he can be the most understanding person you've ever talked to. Those times are rare however." Jareth grumbled under his breath and flopped onto his back, trying his best to ignore the two. "He likes to put up a front, make it seem like he's this untouchable force to be reckoned with. Still, his level of control is amazing. I remember one time, the day before we started our lessons, I was playing a game of hide and seek tag with some of the farm girls down the path there, and he walked right under my tree. I couldn't see his face and assumed that it was one of my friends, only because of his hair. So I jumped down, landed right on his back and sent us both face first into a puddle of mud.

I thought for sure that I was a dead Princess when he turned to look at me. I swear the mud was evaporating off of him, he was so fumed. But like that, in the blink of an eye, he was fine and the mud was gone off of both of our persons. Of course I realized the next day that he was the man to be teaching me how to control my own magic."

Sarah, who had been giggling throughout the story, was now holding her sides and rocking forward with laughter. "I assure you," Amar snickered, holding back her giggles the best she could. "If I had been in his position I would have blasted me right on the spot!"

"Well it's a good thing you're not me, isn't it?" Came Jareth's teasing voice. Amar looked back and him and punched his knee, which was eye level with her ruby orbs. "I don't know what my goblins would do with you for a Queen."

The trio chuckled and fell into a comfortable silence. Sarah's eyes darted every which way, as if she couldn't get enough of her surroundings. Finally those hazel-green orbs landed on the mountain tops and she worried her bottom lip between her teeth. Amar noticed and nudged Jareth, who sat up and watched his mortal worry about her life. "How long," Sarah asked, jerking her head around to face them. The two Fae glanced away quickly and then back at her, almost ashamed to have been staring. "How long do you think it will take us to get there?"

"It depends, love," Amar replied gently.

"On what?"

"On how we travel," Jareth answered.

"You're coming with?" The two women chorused.

He magicked a map and rolled it out between them. Pointing to a path that led through the Fire Queen's Forest and straight to the base of the Mountains, he continued speaking as if hadn't been interrupted. "If we follow this path on horseback we should be able to reach the Hydra within a couple of days."

"S'not possible," Amar disagreed. "If we take horses through that swamp, the Blacks will be on us like starving wolves on a pound of meat. We'll either have to go around, which will add an extra day or two, depending on our travel rate, or we could brave through it without the horses."

"How much time will that add?" Sarah asked.

Amar shrugged and settled back to stare off at the Forest. "A few hours maybe. You know," she said, pointing to Jareth. "We could just brave the dragons and ride there."

"You know the larger ones don't play nice," Jareth frowned.

"You're just scared of heights."

"You are?" Sarah giggled.

"No I am not…" He sniffed.

"You're right," Amar grinned wickedly. "You're terrified."

"Regardless," The Goblin King growled, glaring at his old pupil. "Once we get into the Reds territory there would be no point in flying. They'll consider us a threat and blast us down before they realize they're attacking their Queen."

"So why don't we just fly until we reach the Red's territory?" Sarah asked.

"She's got a point," Amar said, quirking an eyebrow at her friend.

"If we stick to the path, on horseback, we should make the same time we would flying," Jareth said. Amar opened her mouth to argue, but he beat her to it. "Dragons don't take too kindly to mortals, Amaraniel, even ones such as Sarah. Flying would take it's toll on all of us, including you, and we need our strength to get up the Mountains."

"How long?" Sarah cut in.

Amar sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "If we ride through the Forest, it shouldn't take us more than three days. But seeing as we're crossing through the Swamp, it should take us four, if we hurry. I've travelled the Mountains before, many times, so I know some quicker routes we can take. Still, it'll be well into a second week by the time we get to the Portal."

"Two weeks!"

"You lot might as well stay for the Festival," the Queen grinned crookedly. "It's only a few days away."

Sarah didn't answer, just turned her gaze towards the portal again.

* * *

That night Sarah and Jareth were shown to their rooms, down the hall from the Queen's Suite. For a moment, as Sarah stepped into her room, she forgot about her troubles.

The stone walls of the castle surrounded an equally as stone floor and ceiling. A four poster bed was leaning against the wall farthest from the giant wooden door, mesh of red with sparkles of black tied to the posts and away from a rose colored bedspread and black silk sheets. Pillows piled upon pillows rested against the bed. A lone bedside table sat to the right, next to another giant wooden door she had been told led into the Queen's study. There was a third door on the wall to the right of the one she had come into and she found a well maintained bathroom, equip with working shower, sink and toilet. Sarah grinned and exited, falling onto the bed and deciding to save her exploring for another day. Now, she just wanted to sleep.

* * *

It was the day of the Summer Solstice Festival, exactly four days after Sarah's arrival. Amar had recruited Sarah and Jareth to help with the decorations, informing them that the party would be beginning at seven o'clock that night and then promptly disappearing with a flash of glitter. Jareth had scowled and his mortal companion had laughed, climbing atop the footstool that she had found to tie the ribbons onto the castle wall.

She had woken that first morning to find a wardrobe of breeches, tunics, soft leather shoes, vests, corsets, gloves and pretty little black velvet chokers, each with a different color stone hanging from them. Sarah now stood in tan breeches, a white tunic that fell to her knees and a solid brown vest over that. The shoes were the same brown as the vest and the gloves were soft and fit her hands like a second skin, also brown in color. She felt very earthy, standing outside, hanging decorations from castle walls and trees.

Jareth, unfortunately, wasn't having as much fun as she was.

"So how long have you and Amara known each other?" She asked as the Goblin King struggled with a stubbornly tangled ribbon.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Amara?" He repeated.

She shrugged. "A lot more feminine than Amar…"

He returned his attention to the tangled ribbon and sighed. "I've known our Queen for nearly 350 years now," he paused as Sarah dropped her ribbon in surprise. "Keep in mind that time is different for us then it is for you humans."

"I know," she said honestly. "It's just a bit of a shock, is all."

Whatever Jareth was going to say next was interrupted by a blast of fire destroying the small wooden side door, blasting it right off the stone wall of the castle. A fire-drake scampered through the opening, cackling merrily and clutching something in his paw. He was a young one and mischievous to the bone. "Come back here Pip!" Amar yelled from inside. "And bring me back my CROWN!"


	4. The Dark Waltz and The Solstice Festival

**The Realm of Dragons  
Chapter Three**

**(\_ _/)  
(o\ /o)**

**Author's Note: The song is Dark Waltz by Haley Westenra. There's a bit of magic and singing in this chapter. Hope you like :)**

It was the night of the festival, and Fae, dragons and human alike were gathered in the field behind the Dragon Queen's castle.**  
**

_"We are the lucky ones  
We shine like a thousand suns  
When all of the color runs together..."_

Sarah turned her head, her eyes full of awe, searching for where the voice was coming from. When she had heard the music, part of her had wished that maybe it would be Jareth singing, but he had remained by her side all night, fending off any unwanted attention and making small talk with her. It was strained but at least it was something. Now if only Sarah could find the source of the voice...

_"I'll keep you company  
In one glorious harmony  
Waltzing with destiny forever..."_

There, in the tree line. It was Amar, her voice drifting through the night air loud and clear over the beautiful music. She was dressed in the colors of the forest, reds and greens and browns, oranges and golden yellows. Her hair was darker, almost black, and pulled into a tight bun, a crown of leaves and flowers and vines atop her head. As she sang, her red eyes met Sarah's green ones and she smirked, holding a finger to her lips. It was then that Jareth swept her into her arms, and led her into the crowd of dancers.

_"Dance me into the night  
Underneath the moon shining so bright  
Turning me into the light..."_

One hand on the curve of her waist, the other holding her free hand as her other grasped his shoulder tightly. This dance reminded her so much of the one they had shared three years ago, but the night sky above her was real, the people around her were real...this was no peach induced dream. The heat of his body thrilled her and frightened her, reminding her that he was as real as everyone else around her. His eyes were trained on her face but she looked everywhere but at him. She focused on the dancers, the trees, the moon, the stars, the dragons, she tried to find Amar again in the trees, looked for familiar scales, looked anywhere but at him. No matter how hard she tried though, her eyes kept flicking back to his face, his very real, very beautiful face.

_"Time dances, whirling past  
I gaze through the looking glass  
And feel just beyond my grasp is heaven..."_

Their eyes met and a jolt shook Sarah to her core. She would have stumbled over her own two feet had Jareth not already been in front of her, holding her up. She felt ashamed of having to look to him for support and once again her eyes darted around her.

Floating balls of fire encased in silver, gold, orange and red metal designs littered the sky like stars above their heads. The moon shone brightly, casting an eerie kind of glow on the dancers and other guests. The castle was outlined in shadows, merely a few feet off into the distance. There were tables littered with foods Sarah knew she could not eat, drinks she could not enjoy. Fae creatures, beautiful and terrifying, watched and whispered as the Goblin King led her in a waltz. She found that she could not face them and instead returned her gaze to Jareth.

_"Sacred geometry  
Where movement is poetry  
Visions of you and me forever..."_

He was so beautiful, she realized and instantly scolded herself. He was supposed to be her enemy. Yet his arms were strong around her, his hand slipping to the small of her back and pulling her closer. His eyes seemed sad, as if he was mourning something, even as he held her and danced with her. She found herself wanting to make his pain go away and stepped closer to him voluntarily. Surprise flashed across his face and she smiled up at him. His lips twitched and he twirled her, his usual cockiness and glamor back in place.

Amar watched from the trees, her song nearing the end. She paced the tree line, unnoticed by everyone except Sarah and Jareth. She smiled at the two of them, garbed in the reds and golds and oranges that settled over everyone else at the Festival. Yet she couldn't bring herself to compare these two lovely creatures to the rest of them. They seemed lost in their own world as Jareth twirled Sarah again, bringing a smile to the mortal girl's face. He has it bad, Amar thought with a grin.

_"Dance me into the night  
Underneath the moon shining so bright  
Turning me into the light..._

_Dance me into the night  
Underneath the moon shining so bright  
Let the dark waltz begin  
Oh let me wheel - let me spin  
Let it take me again  
Turning me into the light..."_

The song ended and the dancers slowly faded back towards the tables. Amar conjured up one that held food Sarah could digest safely and winked at her friend when surprised and thankful green eyes flashed to her hidden face. Jareth quirked an eyebrow at the Dragon Queen as if to ask 'what comes next?' to which Amar responded with a wicked grin.

Thundering footsteps met the ears of the Festival attendants. Scales that shone clear and bright in the moonlight flashed across their vision and scattered gasps and whispers filled the silence. Sarah leaned back against Jareth almost involuntarily and surprise flashed across the Goblin King's face once more. It faded and he slipped his hand into hers, linking their fingers together and squeezing reassuringly. She squeezed back, worried and scared. The dragon stepped from the trees completely, rearing its giant crystal head proudly and Sarah gasped.

It looked like his scales were fashioned from the very crystals that Jareth used so much. He was almost translucent, but the crystals his scales were shaped out of flashed with a rainbow of colors whenever he moved. He was as tall as the largest tree and twice as long as his height, his great tail spiked with jagged and shining crystals. He bowed his great head and Amar stepped from the trees.

She had changed from her reds and greens and browns, oranges and golden yellows, into a body suit that fit her like a second skin. It was fashioned out of small Black dragon scales, larger ones overlapping to cover her shoulders, elbows, knees and the sides of her thighs. Her gloves were in place and knee high boots made of the same large Black dragon scales supported her feet. Her hair was still in its tight bun, her crown of leaves and flowers and vines replaced by a silver crown. She reached her hand up and rested it on the side of the Crystal dragon's massive jaw.

She swung her left foot into a backward arc behind her right and her right into a forward arc against the ground. As she side-stepped, so did the dragon. She brought her hand down and side-stepped again, the dragon following her every movement with his piercing blue eyes. "What's going on?" Sarah whispered.

"They're going to dance," Jareth whispered back. She jumped. She had forgotten he was that close and his breath against the back of her neck momentarily caused her a lapse in thinking. His words crashed down around her and she tilted her head to the side, confused. He slipped his other hand into her other one and squeezed both gently.

"But…how?"

"Watch."

The dragon's tail slithered across the ground with remarkable speed. Amar jumped over it and rolled to her feet in time to spin out of the way as he brought a massive clawed hand crashing down. He slid his paw towards her and she jumped and dove, forming an arc over his limb before landing and rolling to her feet once again. They continued with the jabs and dodges with such grace that Sarah couldn't help but be amazed. And then Amar moved to jump over the dragon's tail, but it caught the back of her thighs and flung her into the air. She disappeared in the sky, her suit making her impossible to spot amongst the dark sky and stars.

A swirl of fire, so hot it burned blue and green and purple, caught their attention. Amar was spinning in the sky, her hair loose from its bun and flailing above her head. Her eyes were closed, her arms outstretched, her toes pointed towards the ground. Fire shot from her fingertips, burning around her in a circle, swirls of blue followed by green and then purple and restarted with blue. She rolled in the air, tucking her knees to her chest and spinning until her feet were aimed towards the ground again, and she landed gracefully atop the Crystal dragon's head. She stood slowly, flung her head back, and shot her arms into the air. A victory pose.

Applause broke the silence and Sarah found herself tearing her hands from the Goblin King's to clap along with everyone else. Someone whistled and Sarah glanced back to find Jareth with his fingers to his lips and she laughed, tilting her head back and bumping it against his shoulder. He grinned at her and whistled again.

And that was when a lone strike of lightning, gold in color, flashed from the sky and struck Amar in the chest.

The Crystal dragon reared its head as his Queen fell, enraged that someone would dare to attack her with him near by. An answering roar filled the air as the form of a dragon, shining bronze in color, crashed into the Crystal dragon. The two fell and fought, slashing each other with talons and teeth and horns, batting at each other with wings and snapping with their massive jaws. The Bronze dragon lifted itself from the ground and the Crystal one gave chase, leaving a ruined field, screaming witnesses, and a missing and injured Queen behind them.

Without warning, Jareth broke into a run, shouting out the Dragon Queen's name as his eyes searched the darkness for the form of his friend. Sarah watched in horror, frozen, unable to move, as Jareth screamed Amaraniel's name over and over again, running for the tree line. She could almost imagine her song playing in the background, the sweet music overpowering this horrible situation.

_Oh, Gods, please,_ she thought, fighting the urge to drop to her knees and sob. _Let her be okay_.

"AMAR!" Jareth roared, staggering to a stop at the tree line. He turned his back to them. She hadn't been this far…had she? He couldn't remember, didn't want to remember. He needed to find her… "AMARANIEL!"


End file.
